Chaotic traffic on Tiruchi-Karur road irks commuters

Chaotic traffic around the Chathiram Bus Stand in the city has irked the commuters.

Driving on the roads around the Chathiram Bus Stand had become a challenge because of poor traffic management, unregulated parking of buses, and lack of proper infrastructure. But the situation turned worse recently with a section of shoppers parking their cars on the busy Tiruchi-Karur Road.

Chathiram Bus Stand, which caters to town bus services and the mofussil terminus functioning on the adjacent roadsides, attracts thousands of commuters every day. Other road users have to cut across bustling roads, amidst buses dropping and picking up passengers all around the bus stand. The mofussil terminus outside Chathiram Bus Stand in the city has been functioning around the overhead tank complex - Kamaraj Statue junction and along the road towards Anna Statue junction without proper bus bays or shelters and other amenities.

Commuters have to jostle for space with vendors, customers to the establishments, vehicles parked on the roadside with a slew of hotels, commercial establishments and a cinema complex in the vicinity. A big new textile showroom and expansion of an old textile showroom have added to the congestion.

What caused chaos is the random parking of cars occupying precious road space. Traffic holds up in the area by the time the shoppers alight from the cars. Those heading to Coimbatore and Karur board the buses at the same spot. The roadside vendors add their part to the chaos.

“The traffic around the Chathiram Bus Stand, especially on the Tiruchi-Karur Road, annoys commuters. We do not know whether the commercial establishments have sufficient space for parking. How can move move past the area when the busy road is used for parking,” asks M. Gunasekaran, a commuter.

Manimaran, Assistant Commissioner, Traffic, Tiruchi, told The Hindu that the traffic on the Tiruchi-Karur Road at Chathiram Bus Stand was being closely monitored. Policemen had been posted in the area to regulate the traffic. The newly opened showroom had shown a space for parking 110 two-wheelers. A list of parking lots for cars visiting the commercial establishments in the area had been sought. The police would straight away impose fines on cars, if they were parked on the road, he said.